STSO+B.S.+Snapshot

= Science, Technology & Society (STSO) B.S. =

The STS bachelor’s program of study requires 124 credit hours, including the standard Rensselaer 24-credit hour humanities and social sciences requirement and 24-credit hour science requirement (including math). At least 32 credit hours are required within the student’s major. These must be accompanied by 16 credit hours in a technical area (the Technical Option) relevant to this STS major. Dual majors do not have to fulfill the technical option.

The 32 credit hours include the following: STSH/STSS 1110 Science, Technology, and Society, two 2000-level courses, and five 4000-level courses. The 4000-level courses include two methods courses, a public service internship, a senior project or thesis, and an elective topics course.

To satisfy the methods requirement, students should take STS Research Design (the first semester of a two-semester thesis sequence in the senior year) and one “methods-intensive” topics course, from the following list: Sustainability Problems, Sciences of Sustainability, Food, Farms, and Famine, Sustainability Education, History of American Technology. Before their senior year, students should take STS Methods and Concepts, because it is a prerequisite for STS Research Design.

Students work with their advisers to develop an individual plan of study. This is the recommended sequence:

STSS 1110 - Sci, Tech and Society STSS 2350 - Law, Values, and Public Policy: Perspectives on Science and Technology (or another 2000 level elective)
 * First year: **

4000-level STS elective (fall) STSS 296x - STS Methods and Concepts (spring)
 * Second year: **

Food, Farms, and Famine (or other methods-intensive course) (fall) Public Service Internship (spring)
 * Third year: **

STS Research Design (fall) Senior Projects (spring)
 * Fourth year: **